Grundy’s for a new era
Video game arcade mooted for Broadbeach centre
THE spirit of 1980s Gold Coast icon Grundy’s will be revived with plans for a new video game arcade in the heart of a major shopping centre.
Plans have been lodged with the Gold Coast City Council for a 1980s-style arcade at Broadbeach’s Oasis Shopping Centre in the latest stage of its ongoing revamp.
The gaming centre is to be known as Level Up and is planned for a 374 sq m tenancy on the first floor.
City planning boss Cr Cameron Caldwell said the Gold Coast had a long-running love affair with arcades.
“The Gold Coast is famous for fun and this type of arcade will provide even more attractions to Broadbeach,” he said.
“This suburb continues to be a major centre for tourism.
“I have fond memories of Grundy’s and I am sure development will revive those glory days.”
According to plans filed with the council there is expected to be a range of attractions on offer in the arcade.
These include car racing video games, virtual tennis, a Jurassic Park seated cabinet game, claw games and a Dance Dance Revolution stand.
A selection of classic games are also planned, including pinball, air hockey and a 1980s classic: Atari Pong sit-down.
The proposed amusement centre is due to go before council’s planning committee for approval later this year.
Grundy’s Amusement Centre became an instant landmark in Surfers Paradise when it opened in 1981.
Built at the then-new Paradise Centre, it featured a range of attractions, including the new novelty of video games, a carousel, shooting range, restaurants and its famous water
that stormed Sea World and interrupted the live dolphin show in December. slides, which were featured in the music video for Errol by Australian Crawl in 1981.
It closed in 1993 after 12 years in business and was replaced by Timezone, which continues to operate there.
The Oasis, which opened in 1989, has been undergoing a multi-million-dollar upgrade since 2015. Its famous monorail closed in 2017. More than $25 million has been spent on the revamp.